


Thinking About It

by dream_vs_nightmare



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: AU, Fluffy, M/M, Slash, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-24 00:32:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4898641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dream_vs_nightmare/pseuds/dream_vs_nightmare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s perfectly alright if you don’t want to adopt, Henry.” Adam says, then.</p><p>Henry blinks the stardust of the phrase out of his eyes and reminds himself they’d just been talking of puppies.</p><p>But for the tiniest of moments, he allows himself to think about other tiny, squirming things they could adopt.</p><p>AU Snapshots of Henry's life after Abe - and with Adam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thinking About It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deathgurgle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathgurgle/gifts).



> Or, the one where Henry thinks about adopting with a (v AU, kind) Adam.
> 
> For deathgurgle here and on tumblr, in celebration of Henry's 236th birthday! The original prompt was: Established Adam/Henry celebrating a holiday (or any special occasion) together. And things miight have gotten away from me a lil. Oh well.

* * *

_The first time Henry thinks about it, really thinks about it, is an accident. He hadn’t meant to think about it, but as soon as he wasn’t, he was._

“No. No, absolutely not.” Henry says the minute Adam turns towards him, cradling a puppy in his hands. Oh, he knew this had been a bad idea. The minute they’d pulled the car up to the farm house, he’d just _known_. But dammit, he’d followed Adam inside the place anyway. And now look at the trouble he’s in - standing before his boyfriend and a puppy, a puppy with big round eyes and cold, wet, nose and no. No. 

The tiny thing squirms in Adam’s grip a touch, and Henry’s quick to move forward so as to catch the pup before the little thing can tumble to the floor. He doesn’t know a good deal about pets, no, but he’s well aware that it’s cats that tend to land on their feet. Dogs? Not so much. He’s rewarded for his good with a couple of licks to the hand, to which he pulls a face and looks at Adam.

The bastard’s smiling.

“Don’t say it.” Henry murmurs as he looks to Adam.

“Say what?” Comes Adam’s response, amusement creeping into his voice.

“That he likes me. Or that we should keep him.” He’s prepared to say no again, he really is.

“Shouldn’t we, though?”

Henry just huffs into the fading afternoon and murmurs that he’ll think about it. Though Adam’s attention lingers on the puppies about them, Henry’s lingers on Adam. He supposes their circumstances are as strange as they are wondrous - he’d never believed there to be someone else like him. But then their paths had collided on an afternoon much like this one. He’d just died. Again. And there’d been Adam, watching him with a curious eye. Henry would’ve passed him by completely had he not nodded towards a wooded area behind him and murmured something or other about a towel and change of clothes.

That’d been months ago, now. And now, well…now-

“It’s perfectly alright if you don’t want to adopt, Henry.” Adam says, then.

Henry blinks the stardust of the phrase out of his eyes and reminds himself they’d just been talking of puppies.

But for the tiniest of moments, he allows himself to think about other tiny, squirming things they could adopt.

* * *

 _The second time he thinks about it, they’re taking a walk about the city. He remembers Abe’s round, round face as a child and then thinks about when he saw it last - and he’d cried and cried and cried for him to wake up, to just wake up._ “Please, Abraham…"

_But that’d been it. He’d spent so much time pretending that Abe wouldn’t grow old. Then when he could no longer pretend, could no longer ignore his son’s gray head of hair and aching, creaking joints, he pretended that death wouldn’t separate them. But it has. It has and he knows that he can’t go through that pain again. He just can’t._

“But don’t you see? The possibilities, Henry! They’re endless.” Adam’s saying about space exploration as they walk down a busy street, crowded with throngs upon throngs of people. That’s New York, Henry supposes. And he laughs at Adam’s comment even as his heart lurches into his throat, because they’re nearing that street. They’re nearing that street on that corner and he feels like he can’t breathe, can’t think, because that’s _their_  street, he and Abe, and he can’t-

“Henry.” Adam says as he slows his stride and looks at him, really looks at him.

“What?” He’s trying so hard to be here, to be present, when his mind’s on an endless loop of the past. And he thinks Adam can see it swimming in his eyes, knows he can’t walk down that street and see that corner and look at that shop. He thinks he knows.

“Let’s take the long way home today, hm?”

It’s only when they get a long ways away from that particular street that Henry’s mind slows and calms, steps evening out to their normal stride. He feels less like he’s trying to run, to get away from something, and more…more like he’s just walking. Enjoying himself. He and Adam move to cross the street as the signal turns green, then. And though it’s been weeks upon weeks since he’s thought about it, the idea crosses his mind once more. What if they did adopt? Surely, they have the means. They could do it, they could provide for a child. But his mind flits to Abraham again and he near flinches, pushing the thought down and away. He can’t endure that pain again. He well and truly can’t.

So he resigns himself not to think about it. And he doesn’t for a long while.

* * *

_The third time Henry thinks about adoption, he’s not even with Adam. No, he’s at a birthday party for Lucas’ cousin. Lucas had invited him a good month beforehand, and he’d thought it would be rather rude not to make an appearance. So he’d shown up to the event even though he didn’t truly know Lucas’ younger cousin._

“Hey! You made it!” Lucas says before pulling him into a hug.

“Yes, well. As long as you don’t intend to make me the court jester, I’m happy to stay a while.” And Henry finds himself smiling as the hug ends, though he hadn’t done much hugging back.

Lucas snorts and waves a hand to dismiss the idea. “Puh-leaze! You’d make a better king, honestly. Or maybe a musician.” And then, with a far-away look in his eyes and curious tilt of his head, Lucas looks to him and says, “I bet you could play a mean harp.”

He can, actually, but he’s not about to tell Lucas that.

So he just smiles and gives a little shake of his head, murmuring that he’s not nearly as proficient at the air guitar as some. Lucas grins at that, claps him on the shoulder, and mutters something about cake being in an hour. Then he’s gone, swept up in a crowd of siblings and relations and someone Henry thinks he _might_  be courting. Actually courting, from the way their eyes meet across the yard and Lucas’ whole frame just relaxes at the look that passes between them.

And he doesn’t know if it’s the day that’s just passed, the night that’s only beginning, or the warm summer air around him, but when Henry sees a child racing towards him and babbling about playing some game or other, he’s struck with the thought of  _his_ child doing much the same. Of he and Adam’s child, really. It’s a sudden thought, that’s for sure. But he thinks that maybe it isn’t so scary, this time.

He knows it’ll be a long, long while before he’s truly ready to adopt much of anything, whether that be pet or child. But he thinks…no, he knows, that with Adam by his side, he’ll be ready one day. For now, though, he thinks he’s content with just the two of them. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm admittedly not a huge fan of this couple but figured I'd give it my best shot - thus the AU and minor (or major?) OOCness goin' on here. 
> 
> Want a prompt filled? Send it my way and I'll see what I can do! ^_^


End file.
